Ramen
by Zenkx
Summary: Thane Krios watches Commander Shepard devour a certain human "delicacy". [Oneshot] Set after the events of the Suicide mission. Rated M due to adult language. (Kind of rushed because I just thought of it last night XD)


"Yep! Here you go, Shep!"

Kasumi laid down a huge bowl in front of Jeann Shepard, the steam of it rising from its brim. The crew went forward as the steam's delicious scent entered their nostrils. Even Thane, who was sitting beside Shepard sipping his tea, looked into the bowl. His eyebrow rose at the sight of it.

Small, rope-like threads of some sort of edible material was immersed in some sort of broth, and on top of it was a piece of steamed meat, something that looked like eggs and various chopped vegetables. It smelled nice to him, but the arrangement… and the edible threads left much to be desired.

"The fuck is that?" Jack said from behind Shepard.

Kasumi seemed a little injured, "It's _miso _ ramen! I made it for Shepard." She shrugged, "It's not as good as my grandmother makes it, but it's still pretty good. I should've stolen her recipe when I had the chance."

From behind Shepard, Thane heard Grunt snort, "I still say it looks like worms. Dead worms. I don't know how you could even stomach that. I'll eat almost anything… but I stress on the word 'almost'."

But Shepard bent her head and smelled the aroma of the steam, "I used to eat a cup of instant ramen when I was still a private. I survived on those things. Having a real, authentic ramen is heaven for me."

Miranda and Jacob leaned over to the bowl and sniffed, "Hey, that smells pretty good." Jacob said, "Wish I could have a bowl of that."

At this Kasumi blushed, "I could get you a bowl if you want, Jacob."

The Cerberus agent smiled at her as he straightened, "Sure. I'll be taking a seat in a moment. I have some reports to fill up."

"Yeah, me too." Miranda said, "Save some for us, Kasumi. We'll be right back."

The two Cerberus agents walked off to their offices, just as Tali and Garrus sat down in front of Shepard and her gigantic bowl of ramen. Garrus' eyebrow plates rose when he saw her bowl, "Really now, Shepard. If you eat all that, I'm going to start thinking that you're a Krogan."

Shepard laughed and stuck out her tongue, "I haven't had one of these since I was stationed for a month in Japan eight years ago. I am enjoying the moment."

"But what are those rope things, Shepard?" Tali asked, pointing into the bowl, "Keelah. That doesn't look too appetizing."

"It's called noodles." Shepard said as she took a fork and raised a strand from the bowl, and twirled it, raising it for everyone to see. Grunt huffed and left. He hated the sight of noodles for some reason. Shepard shrugged, and popped the strand into her mouth, but she winced. "Ow. It's hot."

"You need the warmth, Shepard." Kasumi said, looking up at Jack, "After being stuck in that cold, nasty Collector base, you need something hot to counter it."

Jack shook her head, just a Zaeed and Samara walked by and looked down at the bowl. "No ramen for me. I ain't eating that shit." Jack said, jumping off from the table and walking back to her place in the Cargo Hold.

Zaeed chuckled as he looked down, "Me neither. I had a bowl of that shit once. Busted a lot of toilets in the Citadel after that. If Keepers could curse, they'd be telling me to fuck off."

Garrus and Tali winced, before taking their tray of dextro food with them. "Keelah, that's disgusting, Zaeed." And she practically ran back to the Engine Room. Garrus laughed as Samara sat down with her cup of tea, in front of them. Thane merely shook his head and smiled as he drank his tea.

Shepard smiled up at Kasumi again. "You're Japanese right? What was that thing you say, before you eat?"

"We say 'Itadakimasu"." Kasumi said, and Shepard clapped her hands together, and said, "Itadakimasu!" Kasumi chuckled when the Commander reached for a couple of sticks that she had laid on the bowl, and arranged her hand so that she was pinching it between three fingers.

"I do not understand how humans eat with those sticks, Shepard." Samara said after she took a sip of her tea. Garrus nodded in assent, "Neither do I. It looks more like it should be used to poke food."

But Shepard merely grinned, and deftly used the chopsticks to grab the noodles and raise it slightly from the bowl. She then poked out her tongue against Garrus, and the turian chuckled. "Fine. Eat with your damn sticks, five-fingered human."

He stood up and took his tray as he headed back to the Main Battery and Kasumi nodded at Shepard, "Enjoy your ramen, Shep. I'll go and bring Jacob a bowl… maybe he'll do crunches when he's done eating… or maybe he'll offer me something else to do to burn off the ramen's calories."

Shepard put down the food she was about to eat, and laughed as the thief headed back to the kitchen to fix the bowls of food for the two Cerberus agents. She then picked out a piece of the egg in her bowl, and put in her mouth, cringing again as the heat of the broth seemed to burn her mouth again.

Samara smiled, "Always so impatient. Blow on it so that it'll cool down, Shepard. You can't order us around with a burned mouth." The Justicar then stood up from her seat and headed back to the Starboard Observation to resume her meditation.

Thane chuckled as he sipped his tea again, listening to Shepard as she blew on her food a little. But a slurping sound made him turn to her again.

She had a bunch of the 'noodles' on her chopsticks, and was starting to devour them. The noodles hung a little out her pursed lips, and she slurped again, inhaling deeply through her mouth, the noodles coming up and disappearing into her red lips. Thane watched… and listened… to her eating, and saw a deep blush coming up her cheeks as the heat of the noodles began entering her system. She sighed in contentment as she chewed, and he coughed.

"Siha." Thane said, and the woman turned to him, with a bunch of noodles on her pursed lips. "Is that really the way you're supposed to eat that?"

Shepard shrugged again, and slurped again, making Thane swallow. "Actually, yes… culturally. For the Japanese. They said the more noises you make when eating noodles, the more you enjoy it." She pointed down at her bowl using the sticks, "I am enjoying my ramen immensely."

"But the sounds you make…" Thane said as she slurped a bunch of noodles again, "It sounds… obscene."

Shepard swallowed and laughed, then she looked at the drell, her lips curled in a seductive smirk, "Why? Does it remind you any sound that I make in my cabin, Thane?"

Thane coughed a little again, "Yes… yes it does, siha."

She smirked, and scooted off her place beside him. Thane watched as Shepard moved her bowl, standing up, and she sat down directly in front of the drell. She smiled at him as she moved her chopsticks again.

Thane blinked, as she started to gather some noodles to her chopsticks again. "Shepard, what are you…"

But Shepard bent a little over her bowl, put a bunch of noodles in her mouth, and pursed her lips again, sucking in her breath so that the noodles went up to her lips, making that weird slurping sound again. She even managed to look at him as she put a finger to the corner of her lip, wiped a drop of broth that dripped down from it, and lick it off.

Something stirred in Thane's pants, and his dark eyes gazed lustfully at her. "The things that you do with your mouth, siha…"

Shepard smirked, and leaned over to Thane. "You know… a big bowl of ramen has a lot of calories in it." She looked at him as she licked her lips, and Thane's gaze got darker with wanting. "I wonder what I can do to burn them…"

Thane smiled, and mentioned to her bowl, "Finish that bowl, siha, and I am sure I can find a way to burn those calories. And you'd better finish it fast…"

Shepard smirked at him again, before continuing at eating her ramen, all the while Thane's gaze got darker and darker every time she licked, slurped or sucked on her noodles.

She finished the last drop of broth from her bowl, and she smiled at Thane, who suddenly stood up to drag her to her quarters, laughing at the drell's impatience. He dragged her into the elevator and punched the control to head directly to her cabin, before pushing her against the wall, and kissing her in the mouth, her tongue delving in to his in wanting as well. He tasted the flavor of the ramen from her mouth, and he was pleasantly surprised that it did taste delicious.

"I change my mind." Thane said as he separated from her a bit, his hands gripping her waist as he brought her body close to his. "I prefer the flavor of ramen from your mouth, than from the bowl, siha."

Shepard laughed huskily, "You getting turned on just by watching me eat ramen, Thane? You should see me when I eat a popsicle stick."

Thane's eyebrow rose as the doors of the elevator opened, "That, I would like to watch, siha."


End file.
